Dental device



March 3,1942. 5, 3, E 2,274,814

DENTAL DEVICE Filed Feb. 10, 1940 i Q2 I Inienior Y 5am dMsST PatentedMar. 3, 1942 DENTAL DEVICE Earl Clay Vfest, Mora, Minn.

Application February 10, 1940, Serial No. 318,290

2 Claims.

invention relates to a dental appliance and particularly to such anappliance in the form of a circular or annular, U-shaped or ellipticalroll or body of absorbent fibrous material adapted to be placed aboutone or more teeth.

in. working upon the teeth of a patient itis often desirable in variousdental operations to keep the tooth or teeth dry. This is often quitedifficult due to the flow of saliva which is sometimes stimulated bydental work. Dentists have heretofore used straight pieces of absorbentmaterial, such as cotton, which pieces are laid along the mouth channelsat the sides of the teeth. These straight pieces are rather cumbersomeand it is impossible to get them into the proper relation to the teethto properly surround the teeth and effectively keep the teeth in thedesired condition.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple and efficientdevice comprising a substantially annular roll of compressed absorbentmaterial, preferably of a fibrous nature, which can be easily andconveniently placed in position about one or more teeth and securelyheld in this position to keep the saliva away from the teeth so as tokeep the teeth dry and in an efficient manner.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a formed roll ofcompressed absorbent fibrous material curved to extend about the end ofa 1 tooth and along the sides of the same and adjacent teeth and havingligatures thereon for securing the same in position.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fullyset forth in the following description made in connection with theaccompanying drawing in which like reference characters refer to similarparts throughout the several views and in which Fig. 1 is a plan view ofone form of the device;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device in operative position;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3 as indicated bythe arrow;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modification;

Fig. 6 is a central vertical section of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a further modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken on line 88 of Fig. 7 as indicated bythe arrows.

Referring to the drawing, in Figs. 1 and 2 a member [0 is shown which isof substantially illustrated they are shown as made of small strings orthreads. tensile strength. In operation, the member l0 willbe placedThese will have considerable about one or more teeth as shown in Fig. 3and if necessary the member may be flattened or elongated to closelysurround the teeth l2. The material will be such that some slightstretching is possible. As shown in Fig. 4, member I0 will be placeddown around or placed in position about the teeth so as to extend alongthe sides of the teeth and about the end or the front and back of theendmost teeth. Usually the outer ends of the endmost teeth will beclosely engaged by the device. The device can be positioned along thesides of the teeth to give the best results and at the desired distancefrom the teeth. The ligatures II are used to hold the device in place.These can be pressed in between adjacent teeth I3 or wrapped or tiedabout adjacent teeth so that member I8] is held nicely in position. Thesaid member may also be held in place by dental matrices or clamps usedin certain dental work. In some casesthe patient might hold the devicein place with his finger. The devices or rolls are equally useful withboth upper and lower teeth but are especially valuable for work in thelower molar regions. They are of particular value for keeping teeth dryfor cementing orthodontia bands.

In Figs. 5 and 6 a similar form of the invention is shown, comprising amember M of U-shape or horseshoe shape. Member M will also be made of abody of absorbent fibrous material preferably somewhat compressed and ofsubstantially circular form in cross section. A small string or threadl5 extends substantially centrally through member 14 and projects at thefree ends thereof to form ligatures l5a.

The device may also be made of the member 16 shown in Fig. 7, which ismore nearly of U-shape. Ligatures I! may be secured about the deviceadjacent the free ends thereof.

In operation, the use of the devices shown in member [4 or IE is placedin position with the inside of its bight portion engaging one end of theteeth and the leg portions or the portions having the free ends thenextend along each side of the teeth. The ligatures [5a or I! may be usedto secure the device in place as desired. These ligatures may be held bywedging the same in between teeth or they may be tied about the teeth,whichever is the most convenient.

From the above description it will be seen that I have produced a verysimple, convenient and efiicient dental device. The devices can beproduced all ready for use and marketed in suitable containers. It is asimple and easy matter to place them about one or more teeth. With theformed rolls so placed about the teeth, the teeth are effectivelyprotected from saliva or moisture and work can be done upon the teethwith much more leisure and assurance. Specific uses for the deviceinclude its use in placing dental fillings and its use in keeping salivafrom freshly extracted teeth until a normal blood clot has formed. It iswell adapted for the latter use. It is also of high utility in keepingthe tooth or teeth dry in cementing bridgework. It is also quitevaluable in working on the lower teeth to keep gum line cavities dry fortreatment or for filling operations. The rolls are of convenient sizeand can be easily and quickly placed in position. They surround theteeth in a way to effectively protect them from saliva. While thematerial from which the device is made is absorbent, the compressedcondition of the same acts to keep the moisture away from the teeth fora long period. The use of the devices enables the dentist to work withmore speed and to have less difiiculty in keeping the teeth in thedesired condition. The device can be marketed at a reasonable price. Thesame has been amply demonstrated in actual practice and found to be verysuccessful and efiicient.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made inthe form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts, withoutdeparting from the scope of applicants inven-' tion, which generallystated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects aboveset forth, in the parts and combinations of parts disclosed and definedin the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device constructed and arranged to be placed about one or moreteeth to keep the same dry, comprising a member formed of compressedabsorbent fibrous material, said member being substantially circular incross section and curved to fit about the end of one tooth and along theside of the same and adjacent teeth, said member having secured theretoat spaced points a plurality of ligatures comprising strands of smallstrings or threads extending therefrom and constructed and arranged tobe placed between and around the teeth to hold said device in place,said device being constructed and arranged to act as a dam to keepmoisture or saliva away from said teeth.

2. A device for dental use comprising a continuous substantially annularmember of compressed fibrous material, said member being in the shape ofa closed substantially circular figure in radial cross section andconstructed and arranged to be placed around one or more teeth so as tocompletely surround the same and form a compact continuous dam forkeeping the saliva away from said teeth and keeping the same dry.

EARL CLAY WEST.

